Xanthian Adventure
by sorceren
Summary: A boy finds him self in trouble with goblins during his atempt to rescue his friend please read & review


Legal disclaimer: I don't own the concept of Xanth or a few of the other things,  
but I did writer the story.  
  
Xnthian Adventure  
Introduction  
The goblins surrounded us. They were everywhere. The Goblins are about one foot shorter than me.  
They stood four feet tall and were muscular. Suddenly they all backed up and Fletcho, the chief wearing his gold crown,  
came at me swinging his club and then...  
  
Chapter 1 - Xanth  
I crossed the curtain from Mundania to what the natives call Xanth. Xanth is the only place on Earth that has magic.  
Hold on I forgot to tell you, Hello, my name is Alan and I was born in Mundania.  
I have visited Xanth twice and during those visits, weird things began to happen.   
In Xanth everything is taken literally. I'm serious! For example, a football is a ball made up of nothing but feet.  
Ahhh... so now you believe me. Okay, now I am crossing the curtain into Xanth for the third time.  
I feel the tingling sensation of the magic as I pass through.   
Did I mention that everyone in Xanth has two things in common?  
They all have a magic talent and they all have a double in Mundania.  
Some magic talents are weaker than others and the most powerful becomes the king.  
When I speak of a double, I mean an exact replica.  
Most people in Xanth don't know about Mundania and cannot cross through the curtain.  
The only reason that I am able to cross over is because my double was killed.  
I am in danger in Xanth, but that's another story, and besides I like it here.  
Even I possess a magic talent. I just don't know what it is.   
So back to crossing the curtain... Now that I'm here, I can see the jungle creeping in on me.  
I spy a lizard crawling on a rock and approach it. It suddenly morph into some sort of dragon.  
I back up slowly and wonder how I could be so dumb. Being only twelve years old, I guess it is no wonder.  
Before I take another backwards step, it morph back into a lizard and scurries away.  
Ahhh... My thought is it must have been a chameleon. I decide it is time to move on.  
As I walk through the jungle, I can see light up ahead.  
I must have entered the curtain in the middle of the jungle.  
All too soon the greenery ends and I am now in a village.  
It is strange that the village looks as if it is from medieval times.  
Suddenly, I spot a lady that looks almost like my mom. She must be my alternate mother.  
She comes running up to me shouting, "Joseph you've finally come back!"   
So my name in this place must be is Joseph. I think it is probably better if I pretend to be this alternate self by responding with a "Hi, Mom". She asks me where I have been for so long. She tells me that the last time she had seen me was when I was on my way to the Good Magician Merlin's castle to discover what my magic talent was. She wondered why I never came back. I reply, "I'm sorry that I worried you, Mom" and gave her a hug. While turning to walk away, a boy comes up to me and says, "Joseph it's me Lance. Where are you going? The Magician's castle is the other way. Oh, and guess what? I discovered my talent." Not being thrilled, I ask him what it was. Lance replies, "I can transform into a plant or intimate object". He also asks if he can come with me on my trip. "Sure," I say, "Why not, but I'm leaving now so let's go".  
We set off into the jungle on the opposite side of the village.  
After about an hour of walking, I trip over something shiny. I look down and notice that it is a sword.  
I pick it up thinking that it might be useful on my journey or right now. Suddenly I hear the sounds of clinking metal.  
"It must be those water buffalo and nickelpeeds. They're always fighting over territory," said Lance.  
I ask Lance if they are in our way. "Joseph you're acting strange.  
Of course they're in our way, but they should be easy to deal with," Lance replies.  
"I will turn into a watermelon while you bring out your sword." As I look down at my sword, I notice that it had turned into a beautiful flute.  
It had the words "Platinum Sword" engraved on it. I am a great master with a sword or rapier.  
As I envisioned a rapier, I was suddenly surprised that the sword turned into one. I wonder what will happen if I think of a sword?  
It suddenly once again became a sword. Great! I must be getting the hang of it. Now I am ready for battle.  
Some of the water buffalo were advancing on a nicklepeed. The water buffalo had the body of water in the shape of a buffalo.  
The nicklepeeds were five times bigger than pennyapeeds and have two pinchers that can take small pieces of flesh, called nickels, and eat it.  
Suddenly both sides stopped fighting each other and began to advance on us. Fortunately Lance had a plan.  
"I will fight the water buffalo while you fight the nicklepeeds" he instructed. Lance suddenly changed into a watermelon.  
"That's cool!" I told him. "I didn't understand the full power of your talent when you spoke of it before."  
Lance began to suck up all the water from the water buffalo then changed back.  
The water buffalo were gone but now the nicklepeeds were coming after us.  
Three nicklepede upon me. As I sliced one through, the two others were able to disarm me. Feeling helpless, I shouted to Lance "They took my sword!" Thinking quickly I of a spell, I began to speak "All is well because the enemy fell." Immediately the nicklepeeds fell to the ground. "That's amazing!" Lance replied in wonder. "We're safe now so let's be on our way," I told him.  
After an hour of traveling, I was becoming tired. "Why don't we stop and make camp here?" I asked Lance.  
"We really should continue on as far as we can before nightfall" he replied. So after continuing on another couple of hours, we finally decided to make camp for the night. "Okay, now we need food," I said while Lance began changing into a peanut butter and jelly bread tree. "What will you think of next?" I asked after I had made the dinner and he had transformed back. With full stomachs, we began to set up camp for the night. As I placed a small rug down, Lance changed into a sleeping bag tree. I selected two sleeping bags for us and, afterward, Lance quickly returned to his normal form. "All is now ready for a good night's sleep," I said as we bedded down for the evening.   
While sleeping, a nightmare, (a black horse that only travels at night), visited me. I dreamed of my alternate self and how he got lost in the wilderness. When I awoke in the morning, Lance was gone. There was only a note left by the goblin chief saying:  
  
"We found your friend looking for food  
in the morning and if you want him back   
you have to come and get him!"  
  
Signed: "The Ruthless Fletcho"  
  
The letter also included a map...  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Those nasty goblins always want to fight. Lance would have been able to rescue himself if the goblins didn't have magic resistant cages.  
  
Chapter 2 - Rescue  
  
If only I knew what my talent is. I know that it would be able to help me. If I could only think how I used it before. Let's see... The verses rhymed so let me give it a try. So I said aloud, "Tell me my talent, help me, and I will do it for thee!" A scroll mysteriously appeared. On it was written:  
Your talent is to make a  
rhyme and it will come true,  
but only once per rhyme.  
Music can summon magic  
for your use.  
  
I decided to try it out and hummed and chanted: "Take me to the goblin den before they put an end to my friend." I was instantly transported behind the cage that Lance was in. "How did you get here?" he asked. "I'll tell you later, for now let me get you out of here," I whispered. Once again I chanted: "Give me a key so that I can set him free." A key fell to the ground right before me. I hurried and freed Lance. I explained that I had teleported here, but could not leave the same way. "So I'm thinking let's crash this party!" I told him. Then we heard voices saying, "He's gone!" We had hidden from their sight but it wasn't enough. The goblin's could still smell us. "They're still around. Block all the exits," they yelled. I told Lance that we'd better get out of here fast. As we started toward the closest door, they found us. "There they are!" they announced. We were ordered to put our hands in the air and did as we were told. I whispered to Lance to run to the door on the count of three and regroup there. "One...two...three!" We ran and made it to cover, but we didn't have time to regroup. The goblins surrounded us; they were everywhere. The goblins were four feet tall, about one foot shorter than me. Yes they were short, but very muscular. Suddenly they stepped back and let the one they called Fletcho come forward. He was about five foot, six inches and wore a gold crown. He carried a club and without warning, he swung it at me. Fortunately, I was able to duck under the blow. Now I knew why the goblins had suddenly stepped back. Fletcho's swing followed through barely missing Lance who stood three feet away. Fletcho was preparing for another swing when Lance and I went into action. Lance immediately turned into a pineapple tree, but I had no time to make up any rhymes. I quickly grabbed some pineapple and launched them at the goblins, but it did not stop mob of them. They began to chant spells back at us. I quickly thought and said, "Make there spells not work well." It worked well enough by tossing all their spells back at them. In all the confusion, Lance and I were able to escape.   
"Joseph that was great!" he said in breathless excitement. That was when I knew that I had to tell him the truth. "Lance my name is Alan and I was born in Mundania" I explained. "I crossed the curtain to Xanth, which you know is only possible because the real Joseph is dead." "No wonder you were acting so strange," he replied. We walked in silence for a ways and finally came upon the magician's castle. "Now that we're here," Lance said "we have to pass three tests in order to get inside."  
We immediately discovered the first test. It was the moat. I picked up a plug that was in the side of a cold tree. I threw the plug into the moat and the moat suddenly froze over. Now we will be able to walk across it I thought. "That was a freeze plug," Lance remarked. "Our first test, or should I say step, was easy." The second test was a swarm of bugs. It was Lance's turn, which he easily handled. He turned into bug repellent that took care of the bug problem. "The final test is to get inside," Lance announced. Lance turned himself into a ladder, which I began to climb. Each time I attempted to climb that ladder it would immediately begin to shake and knock me off. "Merlin must have put a spell on the ladder," I said. "I know a spell that will help." I began to chant, "hold that ladder without a clatter". The ladder was now still. I was able to climb to the top and pull the ladder up. As Lance changed back, we turned and took notice of an old man. "We made it!" I exclaimed. The magician let us know that we were both magicians ourselves and that we had come from a long line of sorcerers.   
  
Ending -  
Although we were now recognized as powerful magician, neither Lance or I wanted to become king of Xanth.  
We chose to make our castle right on the curtain line so that I could visit my family at any time. In the end, I chose to bring my family to Xanth. My alternate parents were merged with my real parents. My parents chose to live with us at our castle, and in time hope to try to find their own talents. 


End file.
